Important Newspaper Organisations

Introduction
For nearly two centuries, newspapers have stood the test of time. They are still rated as the most credible type of media today. Readers keep relying on the printed word because they believe that what is reported in the newspapers must be authentic.

Bureau of Circulation Audits (ABC)

The Audit Bureau of Circulation is a non-profit organisation that audits and certifies newspaper and magazine circulation figures.It is a non-profit organisation whose members include publishers, advertisers, and ad agencies.  The main function of ABC is to create a uniform and standard procedure through which the circulation figure of any newspaper or magazine is certified. The bureau issues ABC certificates to its members every six months. ABC is run by a council of management which is the main policy-making body. It comprises of:

1. 8 elected representatives of Publishers
2. 4 elected representatives of Advertising Agencies
3. 4 elected representatives of Advertisers

The Indian Newspaper Society (INS)
INS, formerly known as the Indian and Eastern Newspaper Society, was established in the year 1939 as a central organization of the media in India. Its primary objective is to promote and safeguard the business interests of its members. It takes suitable steps in cases where the print media business is affected by the action of the Legislatures, Governments, the courts, municipal and local bodies, and associations or organizations. It also promotes co-operation in all matters affecting the common business interests of its members. One of the key functions of the INS is to aid its member publications in regard to monitoring the recovery of their dues from Advertising Agencies and Advertisers. It also keeps a close eye on the allocation of newsprint to different newspapers. As the primary industry body, it also helps its members by placing their views before the Government as an industry on different issues such as wage boards for journalists and non-journalists. Society has a press freedom committee whose task is to ensure that newspapers can be published without any fear. Its advertisement committee monitors the payment to publications, grants accreditation to advertising agencies, enables them to access certain facilities, helps advertising agencies in recovering their dues from advertisers, and in case of non-confirmation, takes appropriate steps to ensure suspensions of advertisements to defaulting advertisers.

Media Research Users Council (MRUC)
MRUC is a registered, not-for-profit industry body established in 1994. It is the body responsible for conducting the Indian Readership Survey on a periodic basis. It was established to identify the need gaps in media research techniques while maintaining integrity, fairness, and reliability in data. It releases research reports to capture frequent and rapid changes in media consumption. The Council is also responsible to keep a close eye on the evolving nature of the media landscape and reinvent research techniques as and when required. It conducts research/surveys for readership, viewership, and listenership of various media for advertising. It also provides a forum for discussion and resolution of disputes on issues related to media research. Indian Readership Survey (IRS): Indian Readership Survey is a survey conducted by the Media Research Users Council to establish the consumption of media in India. It enjoys the distinction of being the largest continuous readership research study in the world. IRS was launched in 1995 with a sample size of 1,65,000 households which has now increased to 3,30,000 households. The report covers 600 publications and 71 product categories. IRS enables cross-media comparison and provides information related to both media consumption habits as well as penetration of brands and product categories across markets.